Tag: streetwise

The Gold Report: The metal mining sector is undergoing many of the same types of issues as the energy sector. What is your candid assessment of the near future for gold, silver and the base metals?

Etienne Moshevich: My outlook for the sector is very similar to that of the overall energy marketthe world needs gold and the commodity isn't going away. It may go out of favor for a couple of years, which we're experiencing now, but it seems as though the market is slowly starting to creep back up and this is the time investors need to be positioning themselves in high-quality management teams and projects before the market gets away from them.

Although many things could change, macro signs are pointing to a turn in the gold market. Even though the U.S. dollar is still the strongest and most reliable currency in the world, more and more countries seem to be shifting away from the dollar, which would definitely strengthen demand for gold. Also, if the U.S. economy falls into another recession and the Federal Reserve decides to apply another one of its quantitative easing techniques, then this will be very bullish for gold.

One last major factor that we should consider is the possible demand from foreign central banks. We need to keep in mind that the Swiss are voting on a gold referendum that would require the Swiss National Bank to hold 20% gold reserves. Even if this doesn't go through, I'm sure there would be more pressure on it to increase gold reserves over time. I'm bullish on silver, as well, over the long term because of its industrial and technological applications.

The Gold Report: Gold and silver have both demonstrated explosive growth in 2015. Why has this happened, and will it continue?

Mike Niehuser: Well, I am not sure that I would categorize a higher gold price in the first part of 2015 as "explosive." Since the beginning of 2015, gold appears to be trading within a band of $1,200 to $1,300 an ounce ($1,2001,300/oz). While this is not "explosive" from a broader perspective, it is certainly a relief compared to declines in 2013, so let's just say gold has done well so far in 2015.

Despite declines over the last couple of years, gold is still well above its lows prior to Sept. 11, 2001. It has held up in spite of concerns for deflation resulting from a global economic slowdown. This has not been helped by loose monetary policies.

I think the strength is in part due to what Sen. John McCain characterized as being in "an unprecedented period of global turmoil." Russia has reclaimed the Crimea and is in the process of annexing eastern Ukraine. The same could be said for insurgents in Iraq and eastern Syria. Concerns over the repayment of Greek debt, nuclear issues in Iran and an unsettled path for a maturing China should keep things interesting for gold.

Also, it is not clear how the recent collapse in oil prices will impact the economies or political stability of oil-producing nations, such as Russia and Iran. The conventional solution seems to be economic sanctions, but it has been said, "When goods stop flowing across borders, armies soon follow." At least North Korea is out of the headlines.

International anxiety may be good for gold prices as gold continues to have a place as a store of value in uncertain times.

The Gold Report:Quite a few analysts believe 2015 will be a year of great economic volatility, as foreshadowed by what happened with oil in 2014. Do you agree?

Eric Coffin: I do think 2015 will be pretty volatile, with the potential for nasty financial surprises. We've already seen bond yields go negative in Germany, France and elsewhere, and we could see big moves in and out of different asset classes.

TGR: Could the oil price collapse be a leading indicator of a global economic slowdown?

EC: That's an oversimplification. Economic growth in China has slowed and will probably slow some more. And China is the 800-pound gorilla of commodity consumption. Estimates for worldwide growth in 2015 have recently come down but not enough to justify the drop in the oil price.

The main reason for the oil price crash is oversupply. U.S. supply has grown massively due to fracking and horizontal drilling, while Libya and Iran have both added a million barrels a day. These events have disrupted the equilibrium.

TGR: Mario Draghi, president of the European Central Bank (ECB), has famously boasted he will do "whatever it takes" to save the euro. Greece will hold an election Jan. 25, and the polls tell there is a good chance the new government will reject its current arrangement with the ECB. If this occurs, can the euro be saved? Continue reading "Is Market Sentiment Shifting to Gold?"→

The Energy Report: Your book, "The Colder War," is based on the idea that world domination will come through control of the energy economy, and that Russia is winning the fight. How is Russia using the petrodollar to achieve energy supremacy?

Marin Katusa: Under the leadership of President Vladimir Putin, Russia has reestablished itself as the alternative to the American superpower. Putin has aligned himself with nations like China to work in concert against U.S. interests globally. Furthermore, a new bank formed by the BRICS countries Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa will attempt to assert itself as an alternative to the International Monetary Fund.

The Colder War will be a long battle, just like the first Cold War, but in the Colder War, judgment day of the petrodollar will be the critical battle. One must understand global politics and the Colder War to be a successful investor in the energy sector.

The Gold Report:Joe, some of your picks from the Natural Resources Watch list have performed quite well. Do you want to give us some updates?

Joe Mazumdar: Junior mining sector equities in the gold space, as proxied for by the Market Vectors Junior Gold Miners ETF (GDXJ:NYSE.MKT), have outperformed gold since the June Cambridge House conference. The inter-period high for gold was $1,3351,340/ounce ($1,3351.340/oz), about a 7% return. Gold is down about 3% since the conference, on the back of a strong U.S. dollar.

The benchmark Market Vectors Junior Gold Miners ETF experienced an inter-period high of about $45/share, generating a 30%+ return since the conference. But it is currently flat again. On both metrics, the ETF has outperformed the gold price. Our selections averaged an inter-period high of 50%, which included under-performers (+1826%) and some significant outperformers (+70115%). Currently, the average return for our selection since the conference is a more modest 1415%. [NOTE: Figures cited were current 9/30/14.]